Hardly A Hero [REWRITTEN ON NEW ACCOUNT]

Chapter 22: Red Roses and Rom-Coms

One after another, I threw beloved valuables and various gadgets into my sports bag and slung it over my shoulder.

I couldn't stay there any longer. What was I thinking? Poor old me decided to make the most regrettable decision of my life in order to protect someone else's feelings.

Gah, it was worthy of a cringe award.

I broke out Winchesters veterinary cage and he hopped in compliantly, snuggling up in the old blanket inside. No way was I going to leave him there while a squad of men with protective shields and weapons broke into the place.

"Pearl, please delete all records of-"

I couldn't finish my sentence before she cut me off.

"Ms. O'Connolly, TerraStorm has been standing outside the back entrance for... 4 minutes and 23 seconds. Would you like me to open the door for him?"

Dammit, I must have not heard his knocking while I was in the basement looking for the pet cage. What was I going to tell him? 'Hey, I'm skipping town. Have a nice life!'?

Hardly.

"Yes, please." I huffed, quite out of breath from all the rushing around and I snatched my mask from the desk where Ben had left it and pushed it onto my face desperately.

I was wearing my father's old baseball cap, a burgundy hoodie, jeans and a pair of ancient Vans dating back to early 2015.

"Red?"

I heard his voice echo through the HQ and I cautiously climbed the remaining steps from the stairs that lead down to the basement. It was too late to drop the stuff. Anyway, if the bag and the cage didn't give it away, the tidy HQ would. Messiness was practically my trademark.

I emerged from behind a wall, my eyes landing on his dormant figure standing in the middle of the room.

Naturally, I gave him a small, unjustifiable smile, which he failed to return after a few seconds. His eyes were no longer on mine, but my bags.

"Going on vacation?" He puffed a laugh, his humored tone not quite convincing enough.

"I wish." I clenched my jaw.

His face remained neutral, then tensed, and finally the questioning, concerned expression I had expected surfaced.

"Is this about the heist? No one identified us if that's what you're worried about."

I shook my head as he finished the sentence.

"It's not that." I readjusted my grip on the bags and stepped forward. "Ben knows my identity now."

I half expected him to get angry and half expected him to shrug his shoulders and reassure me that there was nothing to worry about. Except there was.

"Well, do you trust him?"

He had run off, hadn't he? Ran away to find his work friends and give them a piece of juicy gossip that would set his reputation in concrete. He would be a perfect member. His looks alone would be enough to get any Super to whip off their mask and declare their identity, and their love. Such a ruthless, brilliant charmer.

TerraStorm picked up my reluctance to respond and broke his statue-like stance as he shifted side to side.

"My team and I are going halfway across the country for another heist." He piped up, his face filling up with hope, though half of it was masked with black fabric.